In Spite of All This
by Carrot The LuvMachine
Summary: Five long years passed before his return, and two new beings were born. To pass through the Gate, Edward had to create something that he'll regret the rest of his life. Once back in his world, he must destroy his creation, all while trying to catch up o


**In Spite of All This**

_Chapter One_

It was raining on the day he came home. She could remember it well. Sitting on her work bench, welding away at another Automail leg. The rain pounded at the window beside her, and she took a short break to watch it come down. The distant look in her eyes would tell onlookers that she was distracted by something, and nothing could be closer to the truth.

It had been years since she last saw him. 'Exactly 5 years, 3 months, and 21 days...' she told herself, glancing briefly at a calendar hanging on the wall. Now that she thought about it, five years had gone by pretty quickly, despite the many things that had happened. 'He'd be so surprised if he came back.' With this, she smiled to herself. Their house had aquired more guests than usual, two more, to be exact. Alphonse had been staying with them, although he now had a job at Central as a State Alchemist. She supposed the younger Elric brother stayed with her and granny to help out. He'd never know how helpful he'd been those last five years. 'I could have never gotten through it without him...'

Auntie Pinako hadn't aged a day, at least, not in spirit. She was still running the Rockbell Automail business, and she was still as bright as ever. It seemed the only one who had aged was Den. Now nearly 12 years old, the dog was losing his pep. Alphonse would often try and get Den to chase him outside as he did when he was a puppy, and Den would follow, just at a slow walk. However, age never kept the dog down. He took walks with Winry whenever she went out, and he was still the greatest company in all of Resembool.

The last house guest was a perminent one, and one that Winry held deepest to her heart. She wouldn't admit that she loved him more than she loved Edward, but she had to admit, he was more dependable, even if he was younger.

Winry giggled to herself. 'I'm getting carried away again...' Turning away from the window, she faced the automail once again. 'Back to work!'

---

"Almost there..." The dark outline of a house came into view as a cloaked stranger approached. The cold, nasty wind whipped at his face and stung at his eyes, but not even the worst of storms would stop him now, not when he was this close. 'Not after all I've sacraficed to get here...'

He took another step, breathing deeply. Why was he so nervous? He'd been here a thousand times, the people in that house were his family. 'You've been gone too long, you idiot. They'll be screaming at you from the second you walk through that door!' A smile tugged at his lips, he couldn't wait to finally be home.

Making a run for the door, he reached the house and knocked. His heart pounded at the silence before the door was opened, and a familiar face came into view.

He was staring into brown eyes, the most loving and caring eyes he'd ever seen. The boy that stared back at him was taller than him by a few inches, and was wearing an all too familiar outfit.

"Nii-san..."

Edward smiled. "I'm finally home, Al."

"NII-SAN!" His brother jumped into his arms, nearly bawling at the very sight of him. "It's really you! I can't believe it!"

Edward embraced his sibling, holding him tightly. "Believe it, Al, I'm back."

Al struggled to get out of his brothers grip to look at his face. Edward had aged, he looked more mature, more like an adult, more handsome. "How did you get through the gate?"

Edward's face fell, and he began looking around the room. "Where's Winry?"

"In the work room."

Ed smiled before taking off. He raced down the halls, until he came to a closed door. A sign was posted in the center that read "Do not disturb", but he ignored it. He breathed a deep sigh before turning the handle and opening the door a crack.

Winry hadn't heard the door open, and Ed wasn't complaining. It gave him a moment to stare at her, and realize how mature she'd become. Her long, flowing blonde hair swung gently as she moved down the automail leg, checking every minor detail. Edward's eyes traveled down every curve of her body, making sure nothing about he was different. A smile grew on his face again and he breathed a sigh.

Winry sighed back, putting her wrench down, without turning to see who was at the door. "Al, I thought I told you not to disturb me when I--" She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Edward..."

In unison, the two moved toward each other, embracing one another tightly. Ed leaned down a bit, and caught Winry's lips in a passionate kiss that had been delayed for years. Winry hung on, trying to make the kiss last as long as possible, fearing if she stopped he would disappear again. But this wasn't a dream, their lips slid off one another's, and neither of them vanished into thin air. They stood, holding one another, not saying anything. The only sounds that could be heard were Winry's sniffles and the rain pounding from outside.

"Y-You're b-back..." Winry choked out. "Y-You really a-are b-back!"

"Oh, Winry..." he stroked her hair and shut his eyes tightly. "I missed you so much..."

"But how?" Winry asked, her mind finally functioning again. She looked up at him, forcing him to remove his cheek from atop her head. "How did you get back?"

"It's a long story, it can wait."

"You're real, right?" Winry quickly asked.

"Real?" Edward laughed. "It's really me, Winry, I swear."

Winry smiled and took his hand, leading him over to her work bench. They sat down, side by side, hand in hand, and stared each other in the eye. That was when she noticed his eyes for the first time since he'd returned. The golden orbs she once knew were no more. They had lost their shine, that certain glimmer they once had.

"I've been trying for five years to get back," Ed spoke up. "The place I was in...It's so hard to remember it now...The instant I left the gate, my memories of that land started to fade. The only things I remember is seeing you."

"You saw me?" Winry asked, her eyes widening. "How?"

"I don't know...But everytime I closed my eyes...I could see you...Well, not really see you, but feel you," Ed continued. "I felt your emotions. You were sad...a lot, it killed me, Winry. I made you cry all those times, I caused that pain, and that motivated me."

Tears ran down Winry's wet cheeks as she shook her head, tightening her grip on Edward's hand. "No, Ed, it wasn't your fault! I wasn't sad all the time, good things have happened too!"

"I worked harder because of that," Ed said, almost ignoring Winry's comment. "I did what they said, and they let me come back."

Winry quirked a brow. "They? Who's they?"

Edward stared at the wall opposite him and thought for a moment. "I don't really know...Their faces are all a blur now, but their favor...I can remember every bit of what I had to do to get back here..."

Winry's heart started to beat quickly as she noticed the sad expression on Edward's face. "Don't think about that right now. All that matters is that you're home."

Ed turned his attention back to Winry, a stern look on his face. "I'll never forget the feeling of pain I felt from you...It was so strong..."

"Al helped me through it." Winry replied quickly. "Ed, the pain I went through was all worthwhile, I wouldn't take it back for the life of me."

"You wouldn't take it back?..." Ed asked, confusion growing inside of him. Now he felt like she was holding something from him.

"Never..." Winry replied, the look in her eyes changing instantly. Edward noticed the change, but couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen that look before.

"Why?..." he asked cautiously. "Why wouldn't you take it back?"

Winry's eyes drifted at first to the floor, and then locked in on Ed's face. "Because, Ed, a child came from it."

-author's note-

I know, I know, the ending is a bit cheesey! But I tried...I'm really tired, and this idea has been bugging me for a week now. Just this morning I came up with a wicked twist for it. I kept asking myself "what would Ed have to do to get through the gate again?" and I think I came up with something fun!

Please review! I never get many reviews for FMA fics, and it saddens me...-tear-


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